Microsoft is Elite in the Making of This Mouse and Keyboard!!!
Written: Jan 24 '08 (Updated May 01 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rich in functionality, makes browsing and working easier and faster, wireless allows mobility.
Cons: No lights on keyboard for capslock and baffling numlock. On monitor briefly when changed.
The Bottom Line: This is the best keyboard I have owned, 100% reliable. You may not use all the functionality, but there are many ways to enhance/hasten PC experience.
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| mongomad1's Full Review: Microsoft Desktop Elite (S51-00001) Multimedia Con... |
I have owned and used tons of keyboards and mice, from the most basic to this model that is rich in features. I had a wireless Logitech for a long while, but it bit the dust. This was a fortunate scenario for me!
Reason for Purchase
What happened to its predecessor? One day, my wife spilled a drink all over it. The glass was not half empty, in my opinion. Well, the Logitech Keyboard decided if that is the treatment it could look forward to having from us, it would just stop working altogether. It made good on this decision after drying off.
The Logitech happened to be a Christmas gift to me from my lovely bride the same year she got a two carat diamond tennis bracelet from me, subsequently lost on the Eiffel Tower - not kidding. Seeing the injustice, the boss allowed me to purchase The Microsoft Desktop Elite Multimedia Control Panel, Keyboard and Mouse on sale, a good while back, for $79.95, regularly $99.95 at the time (you can get one far cheaper now).
So, I have been using this for quite some time and have not had a moments problem out of it, except when it was attached to a Belkin 4-port KVM Switch (allows you to use the same Keyboard, monitor/Video, and Mouse for multiple PC's). On boot up, often the KVM switch would not recognize the mouse, meaning another reboot was necessary.
In case you have a similar set up, I thought I would mention that, but I also did not have the power adapter for the KVM, which passively drew juice from the PC. This was likely the issue.
Falling in Love all Over Again
As noted, I have had this for well over a year, and it gets quite a workout regularly, especially since I now work from home most often. The keys are very responsive, but not overly so. When I began this review, I noted all the features it has that I have not been employing, specifically the keyboard. I also noted that somewhere along the way the software for the keyboard was eliminated, while the mouse interface was still loaded. Probably, this was of my own doing.
I just downloaded the software again and looked it over. I will be using more of its functions now since I like to utilize keystrokes where many would use a mouse. For example: Ctrl x for cut, Ctrl c for copy, Ctrl v for paste and Alt Tab to navigate open windows. It is faster than moving a hand over to the mouse while typing.
Loveable and Other Features of the Keyboard
First, along the very top of the keyboard there are five buttons labeled My Favorites. Now this does not necessarily mean IE Favorites. You can set these, via the software, to a specific executable or file. If you work on Quicken or QuickBooks often, have it bring up your file which will launch the program. Same with a Word document if you want to have that file of your memoirs pop-up at the touch of one button.
Do you need to add or remove favorites of this nature? Underneath the favorites is a button with a star, which brings up all five buttons in a screen that makes it easy to adjust these. Just enter the path or browse to navigate to the file. If you want it to open a folder, you need to find it in Windows Explorer, then copy and paste that path.
Totally unrelated, extraneous and superfluous to the review, it is curious that the Star is MS's universal symbol for "Favorites". Who has a favorite star? Or is it refering to the context of "star" in the sense of movie star? Would a Heart be more apropos? Forget I just wrote that...
Next door to your favorites is the media section. Assign the program you want to open for this function to the “Media” key, say i-Tunes, press it and you open it up. Once this is open, you can play/pause, mute, up/down volume and skip to the next track or back to previous tracks. Pretty nifty if you ask me, which is implicit since you are reading this.
Along the top the rest of the way it will open “My Documents”, “My Pictures”, “My Music”, “Mail”, “Web/Home” and “Messenger”. Each of these, you can assign the place you want it to open if the defaults are not where you keep certain things or if you need to set Mail to your preferred application or webpage, the browser you use if not IE, and/or the IM of your choice. Above the 10-key, you have a button to pull up the calculator, a log off and sleep key.
The Function Keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.) are assigned tasks as well. F1, which is fairly generic, will open help in the program you are in if it exists. F2 acts as the undo and, you guessed it, F3 is redo. F4 will open a new document in the program you are in, say Word, while F5 will take you to the Open window for a new Word document you have saved on your PC and F6 will close the application (not just the current file).
In e-mail F7, F8 and F9 will reply, forward or send a message, respectively. F10 will spell check, F11 saves your work while F12 will print it. Other than that, the keys are standard to a QWERTY pc keyboard, with the “start” button available, and another nice exception.
To the far left, beside the CAPS Lock Key, there is a scroll wheel that also will scroll left and right in addition to up and down in a window. Above it are a back and forward button that takes you to move back in forth amongst the pages in your browser. If you are not in a program that utilizes back and forward, they do no harm if you press them.
There is one other key, between the ALT and Ctrl keys on the right side that supposedly will take you to shortcuts, per the software’s description of said key. Mine seems to only simulate “right click” and there is no way to change its function other than disabling it, that I can see.
One frustration is that there are no lights on the keyboard for Caps Lock and *Num Lock. They do appear on your screen briefly, bottom right, so you can press it to see what state it is in before typing in that password for the final attempt.
What I really like about this keyboard is that you could almost use it exclusively if the mouse went dead. You can easily close programs and shut down at least. Also, via the software, you can see the status of the batteries you have in the device. This saves on troubleshooting!
Loveable and Other Features of the Mouse
The optical, cordless mouse is nicely designed to fit the contours of your hand and also has a scroll wheel, complete with left and right scrolling. In addition to your left click/right click, for you coordinated people, you can assign tasks to two more buttons on the left side of the device. I find that I hit them accidentally far more than planned, so I do not have them assigned at all. All buttons can do any command or you can assign keystrokes.
It will work on virtually any surface and does so with accuracy you might not expect on less than ideal flat things, like a paperback book. It also has a display for the status of your battery power.
The Looks and Specs
This duo of mouse and keyboard are certainly not eyesores and I like the black on silver casings for each and the white letters on black keys. Its functionality far outweighs the looks no matter how attractively engineered it is.
General:
Keyboard Wireless Receiver USB wireless receiver
External Input Device
Connectivity Technology Wireless Interface RF Key/Button
Functions: Sleep, Log off, Scrolling, Multimedia, Programmable, Internet browsing, Applications launch Features Palm rest Pointing Device / Manipulator Mouse Movement Detection Technology Optical Pointing Device Features Wireless, Scrolling wheel
Connections:
1 x Keyboard - Generic - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style), 1 x Mouse - Generic - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style), USB - 4 pin USB Type A
Batteries:
5 AA
Software:
Software Included Drivers & Utilities, Microsoft Intellipoint, Microsoft IntelliType Pro
System Requirements:
OS Required Apple MacOS X 10.2.x, Apple MacOS X 10.1 or later, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Min Processor Type 133 MHz, 233 MHz System Requirements Details Windows 2000 Pro/Server - Pentium - RAM 128 MB - HD 60 MB, Windows XP Home/Pro - Pentium - RAM 128 MB - HD 60 MB, MacOS X 10.1/10.2.x - HD 30 MB Interface(s) Required
Ports/Connectors Required:
1 Keyboard Generic:6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style)
1 Mouse Generic:6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style)
USB 4 pin USB Type A
Keyboard Dimensions:
19.5” wide, 10.5” deep, 1.5” tall (approximately – without tilt up flip outs)
Mouse Dimensions:
5” long, 3” wide, 2” tall (approximately)
*Num Lock – as an Aside
This has to be the most idiotic key to still be included in modern day keyboards that have separately: four arrow keys, a delete key, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down keys which is all that turning off num lock will do for you. I hate this key, I really do. Can anyone justify to me why this still exists? Oh and this device will let you disable the Caps Lock key, but NOT the Num Lock. Does it do something of which I am not aware so that it has any duty at all BUT to be turned off accidentally and screw up entering passwords? Is it the BIOS needing it? What?!?!?!
I want to start a coalition to remove this from all keyboards by 2009 or any manufacturer continuing to do so may only sell them at cost. Num Lock = Num Nuts!!!
Thank you, I feel better now.
If this review was informative, please feel free to visit my other Computer Hardware reviews:
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 79.95
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Epinions.com ID:
mongomad1
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Location: Actionville, FL (Jacksonville)
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 64 members
About Me:
I would give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
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